Opinion
‘Occupy Sandy’ Outperforms FEMA
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
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Page 4 The Portland Skanner
R
emember two months ago,
on the anniversary of Occu-
py Wall Street’s insertion
into national and popular culture,
when all the major media outlets
declared Occupy dead?
Those very same media outlets
had to swallow those words in the
aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,
when activists from OWS formed
a new group — Occupy Sandy —
to help afflicted communities in
New York recover from the
“superstorm’s” devastation.
They had to swallow their words
again when Occupy Sandy began
outperforming
organizations
whose very job it is to help com-
munities bounce back after
disasters. When the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency shut
its doors at the onset of a second
storm, a Nor’easter, blowing
through New York City, Occupy
Sandy picked up their slack.
This became such a big deal that
even the New York Times —
which historically has not been
very kind to movements centered
around highlighting economic
inequality — could not ignore it:
“Maligned for months for its
purported ineffectiveness, Occupy
Wall Street has managed through
its storm-related efforts not only to
S TATELESS S OCIETY
Trevor Hultner
renew the impromptu passions of
Zuccotti, but also to tap into an
unfulfilled desire among the resi-
dents of the city to assist in the
recovery. This altruistic urge was
the afflicted and to sort through a
medieval marketplace of donated
blankets, clothes and food. There
is an Occupy motor pool of bor-
rowed cars and pickup trucks that
ferries volunteers to ravaged areas.
An Occupy weatherman sits at his
computer and issues regular fore-
casts. Occupy construction teams
and medical committees have
‘This is not the first time grassroots,
activist-based aid groups have
outclassed both federal and non-
profit disaster relief’
initially unmet by larger, more
established charity groups, which
seemed slow to deliver aid and
turned away potential volunteers
in droves during the early days of
the disaster.
“In the past two weeks, Occupy
Sandy has set up distribution sites
at a pair of Brooklyn churches
where hundreds of New Yorkers
muster daily to cook hot meals for
been formed.”
This is not the first time grass-
roots, activist-based aid groups
have outclassed both federal and
non-profit disaster relief. Hurri-
cane Katrina saw the formation of
the Common Ground Relief Col-
lective.
That
organization,
founded with the principles of hor-
izontal, voluntary association and
direct action in mind, began help-
ing people in the Lower Ninth
Ward before FEMA or the Red
Cross could even set up camp.
These ad hoc groups of activists
and volunteers seem to work better
than the government or NGOs, but
why?
One possible reason is that the
activists and volunteers are pulled
from the affected communities
themselves, rather than coming
from without — therefore, they
understand the neighborhoods
they’re working in, know the peo-
ple and can gauge their needs
quickly. However, this is not
always the case; Common Ground
was started by four out-of-town
street medics.
Another possibility is that hori-
zontally organized groups based
on the principles of free associa-
tion and mutual aid are just
superior to organizations steeped
in bureaucracy. The evidence for
this is growing rapidly, as more
people take control of their own
lives and help their neighbors dur-
ing times of crisis, economic,
ecological or otherwise.
Trevor Hultner is on the staff of
the Center for a Stateless Society
A Post-Election Mobilization Agenda
A
fter we savor the feeling of
sweet success that comes
from President Barack
Obama’s election, there is work to
do. Most of us got the outcome
that we both worked and hoped
for, but we have to resist the temp-
tation to exhale and get on with
our work. Before the president
takes the oath of office for a sec-
ond time, African Americans
should mobilize around these
issues:
SEQUESTRATION. Unless the
Democrats and Republicans can
cut a deal during the lame-duck
session of Congress, our budget
will be cut automatically. While
House Speaker John Boehner has
softened his tone just a bit and
indicated his willingness to com-
promise, he still has to herd his
Tea Party colleagues into also
agreeing on ways to avoid seques-
tration. The notion of cutting
expenditures at a time of slow eco-
nomic growth makes no sense.
Neither does sequestration, a des-
perate move to avoid a
compromise. What do we need to
address the deficit? A long-term
plan that takes economic cycles
into account.
POVERTY. Tavis Smiley and
Cornel West spent much of this
fall on a poverty tour, rising up the
27 percent of African Americans
who live in poverty. This contrasts
with the Middle Class Tax Force
that President Obama has asked
Vice President Biden to lead. It
would be great if the president
would form a task force to reduce
or eradicate poverty, and he might
do so if he were urged to. Mean-
while, as the holidays approach,
keep the poor in your community
in mind, and find a local charity to
sponsor.
November 14, 2012
are engaged.
B ENNETT
C OLLEGE
Julianne
Malveaux
STATE AND LOCAL ELEC-
TIONS. Presidential elections
seem to suck all of the air out of
the political landscape, and rightly
so.
We elect a president only
THE HOUSING CRISIS.
Despite action at the national
level, many banks are dragging
their feet rather than offering mod-
ifications for under water
mortgages. Just a fraction of those
who qualify for these mortgages
have been offered them by their
banks. Congress probably can’t
deal with this issue during a lame
duck session, but it is certainly
time for people to get together to
reverse this trend. The problem:
Too many of us are ashamed to
African Americans have been
President Obama’s most loyal
supporters. When will we get the
attention we deserve?
every four years, and his (maybe
one day her) focus have long-term
implications. But so do city coun-
cil, school board and mayoral
talk about our financial status,
thinking it’s a personal problem
instead of a structural problem.
Many banks are dragging their feet
rather than offering modifications for
under water mortgages
elections. Many are held in off
years so that local candidates don’t
get swallowed in the national
hype. It’s a great time to get
involved in these elections or even
consider running yourself. Voting
is literally the least you can do, not
the most you can do. Failing to
engage in full civic participation
cedes your choices to others who
The solution: Consider involving a
state legislator or local leader in
developing a workshop for those
who are under water. Get bankers
there to explain why so many have
not been offered loan mortifica-
tions. Take the results to your
congressperson and ask them to
act on it.
PARENT PLUS LOANS AND
OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION
ISSUES. While the federal gov-
ernment provides an opportunity
for students to have parents bor-
row for their tuition, the federal
government has tightened require-
ments on the loan to the point that
nearly half of those who qualified
last year do not qualify any more.
The result? Thousands of student,
especially at HBCUs have the
choice to pay up or get out. Or, the
other choice is for colleges to
“carry” these students. This is a
bad idea when regulators judge
colleges, especially historically
Black colleges, by fiscal stability.
Speaking of education, this is a
challenging time for HBCUs to
experience cuts in Title III and
other federally-sponsored pro-
grams. In a second Obama term,
issues affecting HBCUs should be
high on the list of things our pres-
ident must pay attention to.
6. THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY. African Ameri-
cans have been President Obama’s
most loyal supporters. When will
we get the attention we deserve?
We can’t meekly ask for it, we
have to demand it. With high
Black unemployment rates, chal-
lenged inner city employment
possibilities, and high dropout
rates, our community is in desper-
ate need of attention. The location
of one federally funded new state-
of-the-art high school, with both
honors programs and job-training
programs, can make a real differ-
ence in inner cities.
Julianne Malveaux is a Wash-
ington, D.C.-based economist and
writer. She is President Emerita of
Bennett College for Women in
Greensboro, N.C.